“Take the elevator, it’s much quicker.”
Imagine you’ve left your small village to see the world. Exhausted after days of walking, you see an incredibly high building on the horizon. In awe, you finally reach it and are greeted by a kind gentleman who offers you much needed food and water.
“What’s at the top of the building?” He replies that it is a glorious place, for it has none of the sufferings your land does. He invites you to move in.
“How?” you ask. He explains there are stairs, but they take a very long time. Pointing to a door, he says that the elevator will instead whisk you to the top. The stairs look safe to you, but what about his “magical elevator?”
You wonder, What if it doesn’t work as promised? Wouldn’t the stairs be safer?
Some Pure Land newcomers face this predicament because they doubt quick fixes. But sometimes, we need to trust those who have already helped us greatly. Questioning the efficacy of the Pure Land method will result in not only our continued suffering but also the suffering of those back home whom we wish to help.